Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to
announce that Sarah Gruenewald from Millstadt has received the Girl Scout Gold
Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sarah
renovated the Millstadt Area Food Pantry, which had not had any updates for
almost 30 years and was in dire need of new storage and an updated working
space. To help the volunteer-based
organization, Sarah was able to reorganize, rebuild and replace worn out
fixtures by engaging Millstadt community members and her classmates at Belleville
West to share donations, time and skills.
She also worked hard to finance the project by raising funds through participating
in babysitting nights, car washes and the Girl Scout Cookie Program with her
troop.
Under Sarah’s management, the food pantry received
new flooring and counters, sturdier shelves and storage that was streamlined to
meet volunteer needs and to open up working space. Belleville West’s Art Club also painted the
walls with an upbeat theme to provide an overall more welcoming, positive environment
for volunteers and patrons.
“I hope the Food Pantry will be able to
serve more hungry people and that those people will receive a bit of
encouragement when they step inside,” said Sarah. “I feel that the Food Pantry
is now at its full potential. I wish I
had started this sooner.”
Along with fulfilling her goal to make a
positive impact in her community, Sarah was also grateful for the opportunity
to develop valuable leadership skills.
“This project really made me jumpstart skills I didn’t know I have, like
speaking in front of a large group and budgeting,” she said. “Most importantly, I learned that the key to
good work is having the right intentions.
The key to success is caring where the work is going and how it will
benefit others. All of these traits will
be engrained in me for the rest of my life and affect everything I do. ”
Sarah is the daughter of Sharon Gruenewald and David
Gruenewald. She is currently a senior at
Belleville Township High School West and a member of Girl Scout Troop #463.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest
award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence
as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her
life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl
Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need
within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The
project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work.
Only about 6 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.
